Directions.

The foregoing prayer may be properly used, if time will permit, upon sacrament-day.

Here also observe the directions given on page 8, and more particularly endeavour to improve your soul by reading a lesson out of the NEW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 4. Section IV. and V.

The Meditation: Wednesday Evening.

On the joys of heaven, which we begin to taste in a worthy receiving of the holy sacrament.

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. ii. 9.

I. OOK, O my foul, and behold that

Lglorious Rate, prepared above,

for the fpirits of the juft made perfect. But how fhall we, poor duft and afhes, and laden too with the burden of our fins, how fhall we hope to afcend those higher regions; or claim a portion in that holy land? fear not, my foul, afk the bright angels, what made them happy; and straight they'll anfwer with a fprightly voice, "we readily obeyed our great Creator; and he fixed us here to thine for ever." Afk the bleffed faints, what brought them to felicity; and immediately they'll tell you in the fame glad tone, we faithfully loved our dear Redeemer, and that love has placed us here."

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2. Look

2. Look up, O my foul! and fee the facred humanity of thy dear Redeemer; that bleffed Jefus that died for us upon the cross; and now invites us to partake of his holy facrament. See and rejoice in those eternal honours, which heaven and earth pay to their king.

3. What is a name of honour, or a momentary pleasure, compared to the blifs of an eternal paradife? what is a bag of money, or a fair eftate, if counterbalanced with the treasures of heaven? how narrow there do our greatest kingdoms feem! how small a circle the whole globe of the earth! cities and towns fhow like little mole-hills, and the bufy world but as a fwarm of ants, running up and down, and jostling one another; and all this ftir for a few grains or husks.

4. O heaven, let me again lift up mine eyes to thee, and take a fuller view of that glorious profpect! There let me ftand and fix my fteady fight, till I am fully convinced, that all the most prof perous fortune we can here poffefs, is all an idle dream compared to thy real joys; an abfolute nothing compared to thy folid felicity.

Here observe the directions given on page 8, and more particularly endeavour to improve your soul by reading a lesson out of the NEW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 5. Section V.

The

The prayer on Wednesday Evening, for the attainment of everlasting happiness.

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. John vi. 54.

Moft great, moft mighty, and most glorious Lord God! look down. from the habitation of thy holiness, upon me thy unworthy creature, who am come. into thy prefence to adore thy incomprehenfible majefty, and to prefent before thee the evening facrifice of my unfeigned praifes for thy many and undeferved favours beftowed upon me. I acknowledge thy cternal honour, glory, praife, and adoration, for thou art the fovereign Lord of heaven and earth, by whom all things were made, and by infinite power and goodnefs they are preferved and kept in being. And,

Bleffed be thy unfpeakable goodness, that has advanced me to fuch a degree of being, that I am in fome measure capable to know thee, to love thee, to ferve thee, and obey thee. And for ever blessed be thy name, O Lord, that I was born of Chriftian parents, and early dedicated to thee by baptifm; and that by thy grace and goodness I have been preferved to this moment, and have, in any

G

degree,

degree, efcaped the pollutions of thi wicked world.

Bleffed be thou, O God, who by thy grace, and by the voice of thy church, haft called me to repentance: difcover to me, O thou fearcher of hearts, the vaft charge that is against me, that I may know and confefs, and forfake the many fins I have fallen into. Give me that true repentance to which thou haft promifed mercy and pardon, that I may amend what I have done amifs, and that iniquity may not be my ruin. And, O bleffed advocate, who ever liveft to make interceffion for me, I put my caufe into thy hands; let thy blood and merits plead for me, and by thy mighty interceffion procure for me the pardon of my past offences, that thou mayft fay unto me, as thou didit unto the penitent in the gofpel--Thy fins are forgiven-fo that I may go with a quiet confcience to thy holy table, and at laft be received into thy glorious prefence for evermore. Amen.

See the concluding prayer and blessing on pages 38 and 39.

The

The Meditation for Thursday Morning. Upon our sanctification, whereby we are made worthy to come to the holy sacrament.

Except a man be born of water, and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit, is spirit. John iii 5, 6.

I.

Onfider, O my foul, the mercies. of thy God; confider the wonders he has wrought for the children of The eternal Father created us out of nothing, and fet us in the way to everlafting happinefs. The eternal Son came down from Heaven to feek us when we had loft ourfelves. The eternal Spirit brings us grace to fanctify us, and gives us ftrength to walk in that holy way. Thus every perfon of the facred Trinity has freely contributed his peculiar bleising; and altogether, as one co-infinite goodnefs, have graciously agreed to complete our happiness.

2. Come, then, let us humbly implore the Divine Grace to make us worthy to address our Sanctifier; who from the Father and the Son eternally proceeds, and with the Father and the Son must be equally worshiped and glorified. He infufes into man the breath of life, and brings him forth in the second birth; a birth

*Here you may observe the directions given on page 3.